Zach's Cross My heart and Hope to Spy
by robinhood447
Summary: This is Zach's point of view to the events of Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy. Just a reminder, I own nothing all these characters and the plot is from Ally Carter! Thanks for reading and enjoy..
1. Chapter 1

My target was Cameron Morgan, aka Cammie.

I was supposed to track her, well not necessarily. I would say more follow or distract her. She had already seen me with Grant. A beautiful girl, who I assumed was her friend, nudged her and they glanced over our way.

She had nutmeg hair and eyes that seemed to be a light green at the moment, although they seemed to change depending on the setting. As I saw her face I could tell that if I hadn't been searching so intently for her she would have slipped by my notice. Amazing.

It was hard to believe that all the things I had heard about her were absolutely true. Although she looked like a normal teenage girl, she was an excellent pavement artist. Nothing was normal about her at all. Of course, she didn't realize that I already knew this. She was probably just mistaking for an ordinary guy, not a spy.

I saw some other girls gawking my direction. Grant and I glanced at them; we saw their faces go red as they rapidly whispered to each other. I couldn't help but smirk.

I hurried to the elevator around the ruby slipper exhibit, I knew she was heading that way, it was her assignment. The assignment was to get to the ruby slipper exhibit without being followed, by 5pm. She had less than half an hour left.

My assignment was to stop her from completing hers.

I strolled over to the elevator thinking I could catch her on the way. I only waited a few minutes and could see her walking my way alone. Her friend must have gone separately. Impressive, she had slipped by nearly 34 people after her.

But not me, yet.

I waited till she was almost in front of the elevator and I quietly pressed the button before she could. She looked up in surprise.

"Hey," I said.

Her light green eyes looked me over cautiously. I searched her face, trying to picture her doing all the things I knew she had done. The great Cameron Morgan.

As I gazed at her face I realized how beautiful she really was. Not in a dramatic way, like her friend. But if you looked at her deeply she was really stunning.

I tried to think of ways to make her feel comfortable, make her believe that I was just some random normal non-spy guy.

"Hi," she nervously replied pressing the elevator button rapidly.

She didn't seem nervous like she was blushing and jumpy to be with a hot guy like me (because let's face it, I am pretty hot), she seemed like she could care less about me and she was trying to run away.

Well not so fast, I thought.

She raced into the elevator when it opened and when I strolled inside, I saw her sigh. She didn't seem to realize I was a spy though. She didn't seem scared of me, just tired of me being there. I knew it would be difficult to try to follow her, she seemed like she just wanted to get rid of me.

"So…" I anxiously racked my brain for something to say.

I glanced at her uniform and read the crest like a random boy would, "The Guggenheim Academy", I mispronounced.

"The Gallagher Academy," she quickly corrected in a curt voice.

"I've never heard of it," I lied smoothly.

She said nothing for a moment then muttered, "Well, it's my school."

There was a long silence as she anxiously glanced around the elevator, at anything except me. She obviously wasn't happy about having me there.

"You in a hurry or something?" I asked, which was of course an obvious question.

"Actually, I'm supposed to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit. I've only got twenty minutes, and if I'm late, he'll kill me," she rattled off.

Wow. I didn't know she was this jittery that she would tell me where she was going. She obviously didn't realize, or even dream that I was a spy. I noticed that there was a flaw in her story and being me, I quickly mentioned it.

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"Because he said, 'Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit,'" she answered briskly. I smiled.

"No," I shook my head. "How do you know you only have twenty minutes? You're not wearing a watch."

Her eyes widened as I caught her error. But she didn't hesitate in answering, "My friend just told me."

I observed her for a minute. She tapped her foot quietly, then twirled a strand of hair, and continued to anxiously gaze at the small elevator room.

"You fidget a lot," I told her.

She frowned as she replied, "I'm sorry. I have low blood sugar. I need to eat something."

Suddenly I remembered that I still had some M&M's in my pocket, no harm in being nice, I thought.

"Here. I ate most of them already," I said apologetically, wishing now that I hadn't been so hungry earlier.

Her eyes widened again and she looked confused.

"Oh…ummm.. That's okay. Thanks, though."

Just trying to be nice, I thought as I shoved it back into my pocket.

"Oh, okay."

There was another short silence as we reached the level. Now I had to decide whether to follow her secretly or openly. Would she be suspicious of me coming with her? I didn't know, but she was too good of a spy to not catch me following her.

"Thanks again for the candy," she smiled and she darted out of the elevator.

I quickly went after her, not saying anything. She walked a few steps before realizing that I was with her.

"Where are you going?" she asked spinning on me.

"I thought we were going to meet your teacher in the wonderful world of Oz," I nonchalantly replied.

"We!" she yelped.

I smirked, she was cute when she was upset.

"Sure. I'm going with you."

"No you're not," she snapped.

I took a deep breath and smiled, trying to calm her down and reassure her that I was a normal flirty teenage boy.

"Look," I began. "It's dark, you're by yourself. And this is D.C. And you've only got…" I paused and pretended to think about it. "15 minutes to meet your teacher."

I hoped to make her realize that she had no time to lose, so she wouldn't take the time to shake me off. It worked.

"Fine," she blurted and she turned on her heel, starting off.

She seemed upset that I was with her, but not nervous like she should've been.

"You can walk really fast," I said to fill the silence, trying desperately to start a conversation.

She didn't reply.

"So, do you have a name?" I innocently asked, she would have to answer this or prove she was being rude.

"Sure, lots of them," she responded.

I smiled, knowing that she wasn't lying. She wasn't that bad actually, sure she wasn't being America's sweetheart at the moment by blowing me off, but she was under a time crunch. She was adorable as she angrily quickened her pace. She caught me staring at her and scowled.

It was quiet for a moment, then I asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I surprised myself by asking. I wasn't sure if I was trying to keep my cover as a flirty teen guy or if I was actually curious. She didn't answer and she seemed to be thinking about my question. She stopped walking.

"Look, thanks for the chivalry and all, but it really isn't necessary. It's just up here," she pointed. "And there's a cop over there," she pointed near us.

"What? You think that guy can do a better job protecting you than I can?" I scoffed.

"No, I think that if you don't leave me alone, I can scream and that cop will arrest you," she retorted.

I smiled, she was a feisty one. I stepped back, making her think I had given up trying to protect her. She smiled back, she was pretty when she smiled. Her smile lit up her whole face. She realized she was smiling though and she quickly put up a neutral face again.

"Hey, thanks anyway," she said almost apologetically. I nodded, now almost sorry that I was going to ruin her assignment. It was almost too easy from here.

She thought she was scot free now.

She didn't even glance behind her as she strolled toward the exhibit. I just followed her, careful not to be noisy or too obvious. But it honestly wasn't difficult at all. She was too excited to complete the assignment. She sat down and waited for Joe Solomon.

I silently hid in the shadows of the room as she sat there dazing off. Then Joe walked in quietly, seeing me he smiled.

He went behind Cammie before saying, "You're 4 seconds late." She spun around to face him, "But I'm alone." Joe shook his head, "No Ms. Morgan. You're not." She looked stunned.

I could almost see her racking her brain for the secret operatives that she had noticed, wondering where they had been. I stepped out of the shadows and looked at her. She was shocked, completely amazed.

"Hi again, Gallagher Girl," I said. I couldn't help but smile.

She had just gotten beaten and I could tell that she didn't like it at all.

"Nice work Zach," Joe told me as he looked at me. I was very pleased with myself I admit, after all I had just beaten Cameron Morgan, whom people claimed to be one of the best at Gallagher.

I winked at Cammie then, she glared at me. I tried not to laugh, she really didn't know how adorable she looked when she was furious.

Suddenly she took a deep breath, looked at us calmly, and confidently replied, "Hi, Blackthorne Boy."

I stood there with my mouth hanging open, gawking at her. Joe blinked and was astonished.

No one had told her about Blackthorne, I couldn't even begin to guess how she knew where I was from. I was impressed. Completely and utterly impressed, no matter how much I tried not to be.

She smiled at me, clearly enjoying her momentary win.

Finally Joe said, "Very good, Ms. Morgan." Then he glanced at me and slowly shook his head. "But not good enough." She looked at the floor as her face started to turn pinkish.

Then after a moment she gazed at me and coolly asked, "Your mission was… what? To keep us from achieving our mission?" She had finally realized it. It had taken a while. I looked at her, "Something like that." I smirked and couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"I thought I could just make you late for your meeting. I didn't think you'd actually tell me where it was and walk me halfway there." It was amusing how naïve she'd been, how totally innocent and unsuspicious. She looked down again and seemed to be thinking deeply, no doubt about me.

A group of tourists walked in and before she could glance up, I slipped in with them and headed out.


	2. Chapter 2

This was Gallagher Academy.

It was pretty, so unlike Blackthorne. The cover for Gallagher was a castle for snobby rich girls, ours was a detention facility.

Needless to say, the appearance was vastly different.

When the guys and I heard that we would be staying at Gallagher for a semester we were ecstatic. All the guys wanted a break from our dreary school and they were all looking forward to meeting some hot chicks.

I, on the other hand, had one girl in mind. My Gallagher girl, Cammie.

She was sweet and funny, although we hadn't met in the best possible way, I liked her. I don't know why I did, it really wasn't a good idea to like anyone. But it was just a crush. I would hang out with her for this semester, then leave. I would be gone and it would be just a harmless little crush that would soon evaporate.

We had packed our suitcases, not much to pack honestly, and headed toward Gallagher Academy. I hung out with my two friends Grant and Jonas. Grant was tall, built, and overall I'll admit he wasn't bad looking. Jonas was skinny and nervous looking. I wasn't extremely close with them, I've always been a loner, but we did hang out at school.

We stood before the entrance to the dining hall, along with all the other guys from Blackthorne. Then the doors opened and we walked in, well strolled in is more like it. No doubt, we were all trying to make a good first impression.

Every girl was stunned at our presence.

I smiled, surprise was my expertise.

Ms. Morgan, the headmistress, who was Cammie's mom, droned on about the history or something about Gallagher. No one was really paying attention. All of us were studying each other.

Only four girls did not look as surprised as the rest. One barely recognized our entrance. She merely glimpsed at us and looked back down at her flashcards. Well honestly I thought I was a little more interesting than note cards. That girl was obviously the most gorgeous out of any girl in the room.

But I could have cared less, because there were three girls at her side.

And one of them was Gallagher girl.

Dr. Steve rushed in then, hurriedly ushering us to the front and strode on to the microphone. Dr. Steve and Ms. Morgan went on talking but I was too busy looking for Gallagher girl again to pay attention.

I finally spotted her just as Ms. Morgan was talking about "forging bonds of friendship" with us.

One girl near Cammie gestured toward me as she said, "I wouldn't mind being bonded to him." I watched Cammie's response. I folded my arms and leaned on the table behind me, trying to look cool and confident.

She glanced up and when she saw me she froze, I smiled at her.

I was supposed to go to Countries of the World class. Thankfully Grant and Jonas were too.

Maybe I'll get to be in the same class as Cammie, wouldn't that be nice, just so I could mess around with her. She seemed to hate my guts, it actually kind of amused me.

We walked into the classroom and I was pleased to note that Cammie was indeed in this class.

Dr. Steve told us to introduce ourselves. Jonas went first, although I wondered why since he hated talking in front of people.

"Umm.. I'm Jonas," he quietly said, nervously shuffling from foot to foot. "I'm sixteen. I'm a sophomore-" he continued before Mr. Smith, our teacher, impatiently interrupted him.

"Thus your enrollment in this class. Welcome, Jonas. Please have a seat."

Dr. Steve ignored Mr. Smith as he explained that Jonas was on the research track of study and asked if any girl wanted to show him around. One of the girls that hung out with Cammie, a cute small blonde fairy-like kind of girl was kicked in the back of the chair by another friend of Cammie's. This other friend of Cammie's had warm chocolate skin, she was really pretty. I recognized her as the girl that was hanging out with Cammie in the beginning of their mission earlier.

"Humph!" the blonde girl cried and Dr. Steve lost no time in assigning her to be Jonas' guide.

"Jonas, you can spend the day with Ms-", he turned to the girl.

"Sutton, Liz Sutton," the girl replied in a soft southern accent.

"I'm Grant," Grant quickly said.

I could see every girl had their eyes on Grant and me. He slid into the seat beside the pretty friend of Cammie's. I could see she didn't mind.

Not waiting for Dr. Steve, I quickly introduced myself.

"I'm Zach, and I think I've found my guide," as I slid into the seat beside Gallagher girl.

She didn't look too pleased.

As soon as we had walked out of the classroom I smiled and said, "So, we meet again."

She looked up at me, well actually I would say more glared up at me.

"So this is the famous Gallagher Academy," I continued.

"Yes," she replied politely. "This is the second-floor corridor. Most of our classes are down this hall."

But I wasn't paying attention to the tour guide speech. I was staring at her. She noticed I wasn't listening and seemed surprised that I was looking at her.

"And you're…" I started slowly "the famous Cammie Morgan."

I couldn't believe that this was actually her. Her eyes had changed to a light hazel, her hair fell lightly at her shoulders, and she was looking at me like she was puzzled. I couldn't help but again notice how pretty she was. I couldn't help but remember everything I had heard about her, she was pretty much a legend.

She seemed uncomfortable of me gazing at her for so long.

"Come on. Culture and Assimilation is on the fourth floor," she mumbled.

"Whoa," I stopped walking.

Culture? This school that was apparently one of the most difficult in the world, a school that was training spies, had a culture class?

"Did you just say you're taking me to culture class?"

"Yes," she said. I grinned.

"Boy, when they say you've got the toughest curriculum in the world… they mean it."

She took a deep breath, it seemed like she was trying to stop herself from killing me. I grinned wider.

"Culture and Assimilation has been a part of the Gallagher curriculum for more than 100 years, Zach."

She had finally said my name, it was nice.

"A Gallagher Girl can blend into any culture- any environment. Assimilation isn't a matter of social graces. It's a matter of life or death."

I did have to give it to her, blending into any environment was extremely important for a spy.

The teacher stood in the front of the classroom and announced,

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will be studying the art of… the dance!"

I cracked a smile and stifled a laugh. Cammie was right below me.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Yeah… Life. And. Death."

The teacher seemed to float towards the center of the room as she went on,

"I have been saving this very special class for the arrival of our very special guests."

I wanted to whisper into Cammie's ear again, any excuse just to be that close to her.

"Did you hear that? I'm special," I whispered with a smirk.

"That's a matter of-", she quickly shot back but not before the teacher exclaimed,

"Oh, Cammie dear, would you and your friend like to demonstrate for the rest of the class?"

I wanted to laugh out loud, this was going even better than expected. I could see her boiling inside as we were pulled into the center of the room.

"You must be Zachary Goode. Welcome to the Gallagher Academy. Now I must ask that you place your right hand firmly in the center of Cameron's lower back," the teacher said to me.

I did it without a word. Cammie looked down the whole time. Everyone else scurried for partners as we waited in the center of the room. We listened to the instructions being given and Cammie obediently put her right hand in my palm, all the while avoiding my eyes as much as possible.

I noticed how she was obviously only obeying instructions and seemed to want to avoid me as much as a guy wants to avoid his mother in law.

Why did she hate me so much?

We had only met yesterday during an assignment, sure I had purposefully made her fail her mission, but it was only a cover. She wouldn't judge me based on a stinking cover, would she?

"What's the matter Gallagher girl? You're not actually mad about yesterday, are you?" I asked.

She looked at me and didn't say anything. I could tell by her eyes that yes, she was in fact mad about yesterday.

"It was a cover, Gallagher girl. An op. Maybe you're familiar with the concept?"

She glared at me. But before she could open her mouth the teacher glided our way.

"Hold your partners tightly," she remarked, pushing us closer together.

I could feel her breath on my chest, her hair lightly swaying as we moved, and we started dancing across the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

The next two weeks were a breeze. Just going to classes, which were as always easy, and annoying Cammie as much as possible.

Well that last one was a little difficult since it seemed like she was avoiding me like the plague. But then again that only made it more fun.

One day at lunch I was talking to Joe. He nudged me as Cammie walked in and grinned,

"There's your girl."

I glanced to where he was looking and rolled my eyes.

"Nice pick," he commented seriously. "Of all these girls, I'm not that surprised that she's the one you picked, buddy. But watch out, she's more than she seems."

Then we both gazed at her, studying her. I know Joe was starting to tell that I had a small crush on her. He teased me about it constantly and nudged me whenever she was around.

After two weeks we had a CoveOps assignment. Grant and I sat beside Joe in the van, all the girls started whispering about being on an assignment with *gasp* boys.

I mean come on, guys are not that foreign. We didn't mind being gazed at and worshipped wherever we went, but it was still just a little bit frightening. You'd think that half of them had never seen a guy, well one their age, in their whole life.

By the end of Joe's instructions I gathered this; our cover was to be the snooty private school kids everyone in this small town already thought we were. Our mission was to complete brush passes with a coin, pretty simple.

A cute Asian girl beside Grant struggled to get on a camera pin. Grant grinned at me before turning to her and saying,

"Allow me."

I struggled not to roll my eyes as I watched him pin it on easily and allow the girl to flirt with him.

"Pair off. Blend in, and remember we'll be watching," Joe continued to instruct as we started to hop out of the van.

As Cammie and her friend from the first assignment (whom I found out by this time was Bex, or British Bombshell according to Grant), were heading out Joe looked over at me, caught my eye, and winked. I didn't know what he was doing until he said,

"Oh no, Ms. Morgan. I believe you already have a partner."

I wanted to laugh when I saw the gleam in Joe's eyes.

I could have hugged him.

When Cammie realized that I was her partner, let's just say she wasn't the happiest person in the world at the moment.

"Come on, Gallagher girl. This should be fun," I started as I headed to the square, excited for a chance to make a better impression on her.

I saw her gazing sadly at everything we passed by, dazing off as she thought. Then I remembered that boy from last semester, the one that she had sneaked out of her school to see. Apparently it was all true.

She was gloomy as we walked and I imagined she was thinking about all her previous memories here with him. I stretched out on the steps of the gazebo as I nonchalantly asked,

"Come here often?"

She shrugged.

"I used to, but then the CIA made me promise to stop," she answered truthfully, although she probably didn't understand that I knew how honest she was being.

I laughed quietly at her answer and looked intently at her. The sun was right in my eyes though, making it kind of uncomfortable.

I sighed, closed my eyes, and leaned back on the stairs, deciding that since I had some time there was no point in not relaxing. The sun beamed down gently on me and it felt really good to be outside in the fresh air.

"So what about you?" she blurted. "Exactly where does the Blackthorne Institute call home?"

She seemed to be very interested, unfortunately I couldn't tell her. Plus, I would rather remain mysterious.I opened one eye and looked at her.

"Oh. That's classified." I cocked an eyebrow.

She squinted her eyes and grounded her teeth.

"So you can sleep inside the walls of my school, but I can't even know where yours is?" she exclaimed.

She was really ticked off. I couldn't help but laugh again, her fury was really amusing.

She had no idea what my school was like though. She probably thought that all spy schools were like hers. Beautiful, majestic, a mansion for private schooled kids. But our cover was so much different. Dark, dreary, cold, modest. A detention facility for the bad kids was our cover.

Needless to say it wasn't where you'd want to spend your summer holiday.

"Trust me, Gallagher girl, you wouldn't want to sleep in my school," was all I said.

I could see her thinking furiously, trying to decode what I said.

"What do you mean? Why can't you tell me?" she pleaded.

I sat up. I wasn't going to tell her, but I wanted her to believe me. Just to take me at my word, I wasn't trying to annoy her by not telling her (although I admit I didn't mind it). I was trying to protect her innocence. She thought that every spy school was as great as hers, I couldn't reveal the secrets of mine.

"Just trust me, Gallagher girl." I replied.

I sat with my elbows on my knees and gazed into her face. Her eyes were now a light bluish greenish, they seemed to change colors depending on her surroundings. She was watching me, studying my every movement, probably wondering who I really was. I looked deeply into her eyes, wondering what she really thought of me.

"Can you trust me?" I softly asked. She didn't answer, but seemed to be pondering the question.

My eyes never left hers.

After a moment I heard Joe in my comms unit.

"There was an ATM behind you, Ms. Alvarez. ATMs equal cameras. Tighten it up ladies," he warned.

I nodded at his remark. Joe Solomon was right, as always. He was like an older brother to me. He was one of the best spies I knew.

"Solomon's good," I commented.

"Yeah. He is," she replied.

"They say you're good, too," I mentioned.

She froze and gave me a puzzled look, like she had no idea what I was talking about. Like she was surprised that I of all people would say that.

"Okay, Zach," Joe said. "Without turning around, tell me how many windows overlook the square from the west side."

"Fourteen," I replied quickly, not loosing stride. As a spy we notice everything, even subconsciously.

I thought about Cammie's reaction again. It seemed like she didn't even know she was a legend. That was surprising, I thought she would be gloating.

"They say you're a real pavement artist," I continued. I stopped and leaned back on the steps again.

I wanted to make her realize how amazing she was. How she was quickly becoming a legend, how every spy knew her name. I also wanted to try to let her see that I wasn't embarrassed to admit it.

"You know," I began. "It's probably a good thing we got to tail you in D.C. If you'd been following me, I probably never would have seen you."

It was true, she was like a chameleon. She just blended into every environment with ease. She didn't say anything. She just abruptly turned around and walked away.

What did I say?

I was only trying to be nice, to have her realize how great she was and she just walked away, like she was mad at me. I went over what I had just said in my head and suddenly I stopped.

Was she upset because I had said that I probably never would have seen her? Did she want me to see her? Did she like me? Even though I'm a spy, these questions were getting confusing. Her actions didn't match with her words.

She acted like she hated my guts, but then why else would she walk away?


	4. Chapter 4

I saw Cammie pass the pharmacy and Bex brush pass the coin smoothly to her. I started walking towards her, mainly to ask her why in the world she just walked away when we were doing an assignment together, when a guy stepped in front of Cammie. A guy with wavy brown hair who seemed to recognize her.

"Cammie is that you?" he asked anxiously.

She looked up and so many emotions flew on her face, changing rapidly; fear, happiness, nervous, confusion, and then shy.

"Hey, Cammie, I thought that was you," he breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled at her.

She looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.

"Cammie are you okay?" the boy asked her nervously.

I started thinking about whether or not I should go beat up the kid or not. Was he dangerous? How did he know her name? She didn't look afraid at all though, just worried about the situation I guess. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Hi, Josh," she answered.

Josh. I had seen that name before.

Then it hit me, this was the boy she had sneaked out to see. This Josh was the guy that she had risked everything for. I looked him over again, now realizing who he was. He wasn't bad looking, but he seemed so gullible and innocent.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh," she answered nervously now. "It's a school thing."

He recoiled slightly. She grimaced.

"So how have you been?" she asked gently.

"Okay. How about you?" he answered.

"Okay," she answered.

"So we're both okay. Good for us," Josh smiled.

Wow. This was almost too painful to watch. How awkward could this be?

Then a girl with short blonde hair and all dressed in pink came up behind and was rattling on to Josh when she stopped and saw Cammie. The look on Cammie's face showed that she was now even more uncomfortable.

"Oh my goodness, Cammie! It's great to see you!" she squealed.

This blonde chick was a little too happy if you asked me. She had the biggest smile on her face and she looked like a flamingo with all the pink. Then she gazed at the crest on Cammie's uniform, looking disappointed. Apparently civilians didn't care too much about Gallagher Academy. But the girl said nothing and instead hugged Cammie.

"Hi DeeDee. It's really… good… to see you too," she replied.

I didn't need to be a spy to see her discomfort. Cammie stared at Josh and the smiling flamingo for a moment. They kept looking at each other and looking at her. It didn't take a genius to realize that they were going out. They kept glancing at Cammie wondering if she had noticed.

Now even though I don't know Cammie extremely well, I know enough about her to know that she's smart. She could definitely see that they were not just friends. But she continued to smile anyway and I knew that she was just pretending to not notice.

Then Joe got on comms again.

"Okay, Ms. Morgan, let's see you hand off."

I bet she had forgotten that she even was holding the coin. This was not going well. We were on a mission! She was my partner! And here she was standing in front of her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend not caring.

The smiling flamingo rambled on about why she and Josh were hanging out, trying not to say that they were going out. It was pretty pathetic. Cammie didn't say a word. She just stood and listened.

I needed to get that coin.

I couldn't be stealthy because that would be kind of obvious right now. I couldn't even depend on Cammie to help me because she was the one that needed saving. I sighed as I strolled over to where she was.

"Cammie, there you are," I said stopping the flamingo's ramblings.

I tried to seem as if I had just been carelessly looking for her. I headed her direction, looked at her and said,

"I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."

Then I turned my gaze to Josh and smiled pleasantly. I may not have a Culture class at my school, but that doesn't mean that I can't pretend to have manners.

"I'm Zach," I said to him and shook his hand.

The flamingo merely glanced at Cammie and me and beamed. Josh stared at me suspiciously, he seemed like he was glaring. Then I almost laughed. He thought that I was dating Cammie! Well, I might as well enjoy this as long as possible. It's not like she was going to blurt out, "By the way we're not dating!"

"Zach, this is DeeDee. And Josh. They're…" she stopped midsentence.

"We're friends of Cammie," DeeDee added quickly.

Cammie continued introductions.

"Zach and I are…" but she stopped midsentence again.

"I go to school with Cammie," I put in smoothly.

"Really? I thought it was an all-girls school," the flamingo questioned.

"Actually, my school's doing an exchange with Gallagher this semester," I told her.

Enough with the pleasantries, it was time to complete the mission. I tried to look casual as I slipped my hand into Cammie's.

"Oh," DeeDee murmured at the sight of our hands intertwined.

"That's really great!" she continued grinning.

Cammie didn't say anything or resist. She just looked up at me and seemed to be observing me.

"Cam, the van's leaving in ten," I told her, trying to give her an excuse out.

"It was nice meeting you," I nodded at Josh and smiling flamingo.

"You too," DeeDee replied enthusiastically.

I smiled politely at them, turned around and went on my way with the quarter.

Mission completed.

Through the comms unit I heard Josh and DeeDee invite Cammie to a party, then DeeDee quickly added, "And bring Zach."

That night I noticed how down Cammie seemed as she moped around the dining hall. She got out of there really fast. I decided to try to talk to her. I followed her quietly, until she got to a long empty hall. She was staring up at the Gallagher family tree, when I decided to say something.

"You know, I don't think I ever got the rest of my tour," I mentioned.

She looked up at me, surprised that I had been following her.

"So what do you say, Gallagher girl?"

I walked up to her and looked behind the tapestry. Sure enough there was a secret passageway. I remembered hearing about how she was an excellent hider, how she knew this school so well. Enough to be able to sneak out and meet a certain guy. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms.

"Is this when I get my Cammie Morgan no-passageway-too-secret, no-wall-too-high tour?" I asked.

Her eyes widened in alarm.

"How do you know about.."

"Spy," I interrupted, pointing to myself. I would rather remain as mysterious as possible. The less she knew about me, the better for herself.

Cammie glanced around, fully realizing that we were alone. She said nothing but just looked at me.

"So, that was Jimmy?" I asked.

"Josh," she quickly corrected.

"Whatever," I muttered waving away the little detail. "He's a cutie," I said with a smirk.

She glared at me, then rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Zach? If you came to make fun, go ahead. Mock away!" she said in frustration.

I studied her for a while. I fought a smile and replied sadly,

"Man, you know I would… but you just took the fun out of it."

"Sorry," she muttered. Then she quickly spun around and tried to walk away.

I blocked her path before she could move. Her face was so close to mine and I saw the pain in her eyes. She was trying to be strong, I could tell. But, her eyes were getting watery. It betrayed what the event earlier, with Josh, had done to her.

"Hey," I whispered, wishing I could comfort her in some way.

"Why'd you freeze out there today?"

She looked at me for a moment then sighed as she looked down.

"I'm fine. I'm over it," she said.

"No you aren't, Gallagher girl," I replied.

She couldn't fool me.

"But you will be," I vowed.

"What's the matter, Gallagher girl? You seem… jumpy," I said to Cammie.

She acted like the end of the world was coming. I, for my part, wasn't aware of the fact and I was very confused by her manner. We walked into the Culture class and before Gallagher girl could say a word Madame Dabney spoke.

"The all-school exam… ohhh ladies!" she squealed excitedly.

She looked my way and then quickly added "… and gentlemen. In all my years of teaching at this fine institution, I have never had the opportunity to organize such an exciting educational experience."

I listened impatiently, wanting her to get on with it.

"This Friday evening, all students in grades 8-12 will be invited to a formal examination," she paused for dramatic effect.

We all stood waiting for the punch line.

"A ball, ladies and gentlemen. There's going to be a ball!" she exclaimed.

The reactions in the class were striking. I was surprised but not dreading it like I supposed many of the other guys were. Almost all the girls squealed with delight along with Madame Dabney. Our teacher went on talking about what we would wear and why this was actually an examination. I wasn't really paying attention anymore and soon I was dazing off.


	5. Chapter 5

"How do you do this?" Jonas asked frustrated, as he twisted his tie and flipped it around, trying to get it to look like it did on TV.

Blackthorne boys aren't really experienced when it comes to formal dress wear, I mean we're supposed to be a detention facility. That doesn't include running around in tuxes and dancing. More like shooting from far off range and the quickest and deadliest ways to kill a man. Fortunately, I'm one of the most experienced boys (I'm not bragging, I've just been around) so I knew how to handle this stuff. I was born into this.

"Let me give you a hand," I said to Jonas and he smiled with relief. I expertly flipped the tie and tightened it so it would look pristine.

"Perfect," I smiled.

I glanced around at the other boys who were uncomfortably gazing at themselves in the mirrors not recognizing themselves, while others were just avoiding mirrors. I looked at myself in the mirror to see myself in this tux, I hadn't worn one for a while. The tux fit nicely, it was hemmed during Culture class. I brushed my hand through my short brown hair and decided to just stick with putting a little gel on it, to give it the "wind-blown" look. I looked back at my brown eyes and tried to constrain myself from throwing off this ridiculous getup and changing into shorts and a shirt. Grant came into the room trying to look as suave as possible, even though he had probably never worn a suit in his life.

"Ready guys?" I asked. All the boys looked at me and followed.

We went to the ballroom, but the girls had clearly not come down yet. We stood there for a few minutes, sampling the food as we waited.

"Dude, what are they doing?" Grant muttered impatiently.

I knew he couldn't wait to play Prince Charming. Grant had never had any females in his life though, unlike me. At least I had my mom. So I was quite aware that it took a while for women to get ready. Grant was enjoying himself in the female world though. Suddenly we heard yelps and screams about poking bobby pins. Jonas looked up at the ceiling his eyes widening. Girls are truly confusing creatures. Even though I was born a spy and am better than most spies working for the CIA at the present time (not bragging, it's a fact), the female realm is still beyond me. True, I'm better than most guys are, but they still baffle me at times. Especially Gallagher girl. I mean, it's just so annoying to not understand something. I've been trained to find out things, that's pretty much my life duty. But girls, are the one thing that seems impossible. Suddenly there was pounding and clicking from upstairs like the sound of high heels against a tile floor. The girls were coming.

I waited quietly behind a tall pillar until I could see Gallagher girl. Her hair was up in tons of twists and girls that gave her an older, elegant look. She had on a long, red, strapless dress. She looked beautiful even though she seemed uncomfortable dressing formal. Obviously the chameleon wasn't used to standing out. I, on the other hand, was starting to get used to being fancy and was planning on having a good time of it.

"Well, you don't look hideous," I teased her as I stepped out behind her.

She slowly turned around and I looked at her fully.

She quipped, "Ditto."

I smiled at the compliment. She smiled back and her face glowed. We started walking toward the rest of the kids but her heel caught on her hem. Being a spy thankfully teaches good reflexes, so without missing a beat I smoothly grabbed her elbow and stabilized her.

"Easy, Gallagher girl," I murmured. She roughly pulled her arm away.

"I am perfectly capable of walking down the stairs myself," she growled.

Just then Madame Dabney came by and witnessing the whole event she gently scolded Cammie,

"A lady always gracefully accepts a gentleman's arm when offered, Cammie dear."

I stopped myself from laughing and held out my arm for her. She bit her lip and glared at me, but politely accepted my arm. I grinned as Madame Dabney took our picture with her brooch. Then I smoothly led Cammie down the grand staircase. I was smiling as I looked at the people downstairs and beaming as I felt Gallagher girl's arm in mine. I remembered that her ex-boyfriend's party was today and I remembered his jealous look. Well, Gallagher girl wasn't at his party. Instead I was walking this beautiful girl down this staircase with her arm in mine.

The ball room looked amazing. They had completely decked it out. Although I could care less about all the little details in the decorations, I did appreciate the work that someone, no, more like many people, had done. Tonight was going to be fun. It wasn't often that I could just dance all night, act like a charming teenage guy, and forget all my troubles. I was going to take advantage of this opportunity as much as possible. My mom had taught me various dances that she had learned at the Gallaher Academy years ago, finally I could show off a little.

"Stop it," Gallagher Girl exclaimed.

I looked at her furrowed brows and her pouting lip. She was slightly jittery and anxious overall. She obviously didn't like the fact that I was perfectly calm. It took a lot to make me feel uncomfortable, but I can usually fake looking calm and cool anyway.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You're enjoying this way too much," she muttered. "You're smirking," she added.

My smirk did have a habit of giving me away with her, it was just so hard not to smile. I led her gracefully toward the Grand Hall. She really needed to relax.

"I got news for you Gallagher girl. If you're not enjoying this, you're in the wrong business," I replied.

She sighed then gazed at the dazzling decorations before us. After looking at them she took a deep breath and smiled slightly, and she seemed to be relaxed. That is, until Joe started walking towards us and she stiffened.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. You all look very nice, but I'm afraid you aren't quite finished getting ready. I'm afraid we didn't mention that tonight is something of a masquerade ball," he said dramatically.


	6. Chapter 6

"But we haven't got masks or.. disguises or-", a girl named Courtney stammered.

"These are your disguises. Cover legends, ladies and gentlemen. You have three minutes to memorize every piece of information within them," Joe said as he handed each of us a folder.

I could see Liz, the nerdy one that Jonas liked, eagerly raising her hand to ask a question. Joe smiled, already knowing her question. It was kind of scary how he did that.

"Even if you are not on the CoveOps track, Ms. Sutton. Spies are the ultimate actors, ladies and gentlemen. It's the heart of what we do. So tonight your mission is simple: you will become somebody else," Joe finished.

So tonight wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be, but still. Memorizing a folder of information and being someone else? That was simple. As long as my person wasn't a lame nerd, tonight would still be fun. Joe started walking away, then he spun around to face us.

"It's an exam, people. Culture, languages, observation… The real tests in these subjects don't have anything to do with words on a piece of paper. Tonight isn't about knowing the answer, ladies and gentlemen. It's about living them," he said.

It was kind of weird being called gentlemen all the time. Especially by Joe, since I've known him for years and now he was calling me gentleman.

My name was Jacque Legrand. I was supposed to be a charming international art thief. I was afraid of no one at the party and I spoke a dozen languages, meaning I could converse with anyone I chose. I liked my cover a lot. I could pretend to be charming and flirty, and everything I wished I really was. I could do things I would never usually do if I was in my right mind, or too scared to do in reality. Because now I would be a fearless suave international thief who charms every girl. Yes tonight wouldn't be that bad.

My original plan had been to dance with Cammie all night but then I wondered if maybe I could get her jealous. It was so hard to tell if Cammie liked me or not, I was always so painfully obvious, although I tried to play it cool. Maybe if I ignored her and acted like I was having a great time with everyone else she would finally show her feelings. But if she didn't show any feelings, then that means she doesn't like me. That would be hard to take for my ego.

I immediately walked up to Liz and smoothly asked her to dance. She looked relieved that someone had asked her and then launched into every detail of her cover life. Then I saw Gallagher girl dancing with Dr. Steve and I couldn't help laughing seeing how awkward she looked. She looked my way so I twirled Liz and kept laughing, trying to look like I was having the best time without her. The dance ended and I looked around for other girls to dance with. I saw Grant surrounded by a mob of girls begging for him to dance with them. He looked extremely comfortable and I could tell he was loving his cover, which was to be a playboy.

I kept looking around and saw Cammie's mom standing by the punch bowl talking to another teacher. A smile spread across my face and I casually walked her way.

"May I have this dance, my lady," I asked suavely remembering people mentioning in passing that she was the First Lady of France.

She smiled and took my hand as I led her to the dance floor.

As I was dancing with some other girl, I was starting to lose track of all the girls I had danced with, Mr. Mosckowitz found Cammie and rushed towards her. Ok, so I had quickly figured out (I mean, I am a spy) that Mr. M (as he was called by students) was the most un-spy-like spy I have ever met. I mean, even a normal person could be better undercover than him. I took one glance at Cammie's uncomfortable expression and I decided to ditch the ignoring stage and be a nice guy. I sighed and went over to get a drink for Mr. M and myself. Then I headed over to Cammie to save her from isolation, well she wasn't totally isolated, but I'm sure I could've provided better companionship.

"Yes, Mr. Secretary. I did," I heard Gallagher girl assuring Mr. M.

"So tell me, Tiffany, are you enjoying the party?" he asked, clearly trying to start a conversation.

"Tiffany is the life of the party," I chimed in, coming up behind them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Secretary," I said, offering Mr. M a glass, "but I believe this is your drink."

Mr. M nervously twirled his fake mustache trying to think of the correct answer, even though it wasn't a trick question. But I mean, I don't think he's goes out a lot. He stopped twirling it when it came off and he quickly stuck it back on. Yes sir, he is one sly spy.

"Oh yes. It is!" he exclaimed and he grabbed the glass out of my hand.

Then a puzzled look crossed his face and he leaned close to Cammie and asked, "It is my drink, isn't it?"

"Yes," she whispered back.

"Thank you, my good man," Mr. M said to me in a random British accent.

Mr. M continued rambling on in his British accent. I gazed at Gallagher girl but she was looking behind me at someone, and one of the worst techniques to look behind you is to actually turn around.

"Isn't that right, Tiffany?" Mr. asked her.

There was a pause and then her eyes refocused on us. Before she could stammer, I quickly piped up.

"I wonder, Mr. Secretary, would you mind if I borrowed Tiffany for a moment?" I asked Mr. M politely.

"Not at all," Mr. M chuckled and he clumsily walked to a food table.

"They're playing our song," I commented absently. I put my drink on a tray, took Gallagher girl's arm, and guided her to the dance floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! First I want to say thanks so much for reading my story! Goodness, I had no idea that SO many people would subscribe or comment. I've tried to write back to all the comments/messages. But I would also like to give a special thanks to XJamesBondX and emandem. They have been giving me many suggestions and corrections. They have helped me so much! So thanks to all who have commented, subscribed, or just enjoyed. Happy reading! And I hope you like this chapter :)**

It was a slow song so I reached my arm around her waist and rested it on her back, with the other I held her hand, and swayed. She looked up at me and seemed to be studying me. Smiling I decided it was about time to start a conversation.

"So tell me, Tiffany St. James. What does a girl like you do for fun?"

"I didn't tell you my name was Tiffany St. James," she remarked curtly, she squinted her eyes. "How did you know?"

Before I could give her a chance to catch my mistake I quickly replied, somewhat honestly,

"Oh, I always make it a point to know the names of beautiful women."

Then I held her tighter in my arms and gently dipped her. I slowly pulled her back up and winked at her surprised expression.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl, relax a little," I laughed, smoothly swinging her in and out when I saw Madame Dabney walk by.

She was about to reply when suddenly her eyes seemed to pop out of her sockets and she went stiff. She looked terrified and I abruptly stopped dancing.

"Hey," I said.

I shook her gently trying to wake her out of her trance.

"Gallagher Girl? You okay?" I asked.

My voice shook as I stared at her frightened body. She looked like a dear got in a car's headlights. I turned her to face me and I searched her eyes trying to find the meaning to her sudden fear.

"I gotta go," she blurted, pulling away from me.

"Ms. Morgan!" Madame Dabney exclaimed.

"I mean," she whirled towards me again, "if you could excuse me for a moment."

She turned away again and tried to dart away, but I grabbed her hand. She sighed,

"Thank you very much for the dance."

She smiled politely, grabbed her hand back, and was gone. Her fear had worried me tremendously. She wasn't the type to randomly disappear without an explanation, I was worried that something was seriously wrong. I'm not the type that likes being left out of the circle, so not knowing what was happening was killing me almost as much as the look of terror that had been on her face. I thought quickly of all the possibilities of what could be the matter and where she would need to go in such a hurry. Then I suddenly remembered the place she went to when she was feeling down. That old stone corridor, there was a chance that she'd go there again. Then again, she probably wouldn't since she knows that I've been there before. But still, it was a chance worth taking.

I hurried to the corridor, but she wasn't there. Having no place else to go of immediate importance I decided to think for a minute. The thick stone walls surrounded me, but instead of making me feel closed in or trapped, I felt… safe in a way. Which, when you're a spy, is very rare and wonderful to obtain, even if it is for a few seconds. Then I heard heels against the stone floor and Gallagher girl appeared from the shadows. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then she looked at me and a look of shock. We both just stood for a moment staring at each other.

"Hey Gallagher girl, I thought I'd find you here," I said.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered her eyes darting everywhere and her lip quivering.

I paused, trying desperately to think of some flirty, sneaky, reason that wouldn't betray my anxiety over her safety. I took a deep breath and decided to speak the truth for once.

"Looking for you," I whispered back.

"Why?" she asked curtly, putting her hand on her hip.

"Because this is where you came the other day," I replied.

"Oh," she said softly.

There was a long pause. Finally I broke the silence.

"I thought this might be where you come...when you're upset," I explained.

She glanced up at me, the fear was starting to drain from her face. I took a step closer to her and tried to resist the urge to reach for her hand or hold her face gently in my palm. I just wanted to do something for her, hold her and try to wipe the worry from her eyes. But instead I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to resist the temptation.

She gazed at me for a long time. She was in deep thought and I knew that I shouldn't interrupt her. So I leaned against the wall, patiently waiting. It annoyed me that I didn't know what she was thinking. But I knew she was probably thinking about me, which didn't bother me at all. After a minute of her staring I looked uncomfortably at the floor. Then I looked at her again.

"So what is it, Gallagher Girl?" I asked again.

She sighed and reached up to touch the stone wall. Then her eyes widened and she froze.

But before I do anything a siren pierced the air. A mechanical voice started saying "CODE BLACK CODE BLACK CODE BLACK."

And then the lights went out.


	8. Chapter 8

The sirens blared and the words "CODE BLACK CODE BLACK" rang throughout the school. Everything was moving. A tapestry was moving in between a gap of stones that then automatically sealed itself. The dark corridor became pitch black as steel doors slid over the glass windows. Cammie grabbed my hand and without a word we both started running towards the Grand Hall. Under normal circumstances, I would have been running in circles because Gallagher girl had actually grabbed my hand. But these weren't normal circumstances and I seemed the furthest thing from her mind as we kept running.

Finally we running through rooms with lights and we could see our surroundings. A bin lit into flames beside us, vending machines sunk into the floor and disappeared beneath stone. A series of lanterns sprang to life and added more light.

"I thought those were for decoration," I yelled above the sirens.

"If everything goes right they are," she yelled back.

Anxiety started to sink in deeper. I mean, of course I had started worrying when sirens started shrieking and the world started spinning. But, I had still told myself that it was ok, that this must be some mistake or drill. Everything had to be under control.

"So this means…" I started saying, trying to completely understand the situation we were in.

Men and women with maintenance and security uniforms scurried past us. One glance at them was my answer.

"Something is seriously not right," I concluded.

"It's security protocol. There must have been a breach. The whole system goes into lockdown, nothing gets in," she yelled, struggling to be heard above the chaos.

Suddenly steel doors shut the hallway behind us.

"And nothing gets out," she added.

I still wasn't aware of what was happening. I was calm and not at all acting panicked, as a spy I had been trained from an early age to never be panicked. But I was still trying to make up some excuse for why this was happening. Finally I asked the question that I didn't want to ask.

"Does this happen a lot?" I asked, dreading the answer I knew I was going to hear.

Cammie paused and bit her lip.

"No," she softly answered.

Something was happening and I had to know what it was. I'm a spy, finding out things is what I'm supposed to do. But unfortunately, I'd have to leave Cammie. I had a feeling that whatever was happening was bad, really bad. I couldn't risk her. Even if I did bring Cammie, she'd probably insist to let the others handle it. Plus, I really just had to do it alone. I've been raised to fight for myself, not to look to others for help. Cammie had been raised with people to protect her. She didn't understand, I don't know if she could ever understand.

She was too trusting. The only way she could ever understand would be if someone she loved betrayed her. But that had never happened yet. Unfortunately, I knew that it could. We are spies after all. But anyways, I had to do it alone. The Gallagher world was spinning and I didn't know what was going on, which didn't happen often. So I did the only thing I could think to do, disappear.

* * *

The next day I was at lunch trying to think through all that had occurred yesterday. Joe had told me that the code black was no drill. Of course I knew this already, but still it was frightening seeing a glimmer of fear in Joe's eyes. Everyone was talking about last night, but surprisingly everyone was talking about how Cammie had snuck out to see Josh, which had apparently caused the alarm. Only I knew without a doubt that she hadn't, she'd been with me the whole time. But, I felt like for some reason I couldn't tell anyone where I was. I don't know why.

Maybe it was because I had gone out to see Cammie to see what was wrong, and no one knew how worried I had been about her. No one could know about how I liked her, up to now I had just acted like I was a flirt. Our relationship had to be a secret. It was no one's business anyway! Why did these girls at this school have to know everything? I mean I know it's a spy school, but they're going to learn one day that some things have to stay a secret.

I had to stop liking Cammie. Love is vulnerability. I had to stop liking her, she was taking control of my mind and I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't even think straight when she was around. This never happened. I was always in control, I always knew what I was doing. Being a spy required sacrifices I know, but I had never actually had to make a drastic sacrifice yet. I've never felt the need for friends like others have. I know how easy they can turn on you. But for some reason, I had attached to Cammie, to my Gallagher girl. No! She's not mine anymore, well, she never was. I guess I just liked to pretend.

No one could know where I was last night.

Then I saw Tina walk over to Cammie and question her about last night. I tried not to pay attention. But I was. Secretly, as always.

"You can ask Zach," Cammie replied to Tina's question.

"You were with Zach?" Tina whispered excitedly. She was whispering, but her whisper was about the same volume as a scream.

"You were with Zach!" Tina screamed. Then I saw her scurrying my direction. I played with my food and pretended to be engrossed in the guy's conversation that was going on at the lunch table. I had to make a decision, either to confirm that I had been with Cammie or to lie and say I wasn't. I quickly made my decision. Tina stood by my side and leaned over me.

"So, Zach," Tina began, her eyes studying me every moment. I looked up at her, pretending to be surprised at her presence.

"Is it true that you were with Cammie last night during the Code Black?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

The whole cafeteria seemed to be watching. All the guys paused a moment and waited for my response. The girls turned my way and silence filled the room waiting for my answer. But I quickly answered, because if I waited even a moment it would sound like a lie.

"Cammie? Morgan?" I asked, faking confusion. Then I laughed.

"Why would I be with her?" I asked Tina, acting as if I would never be caught dead with her.

Acting as if I didn't care about her. Acting as if she didn't make my head spin by her walking in the room. Acting as if her smile didn't make heart jump through my chest. Acting as if I hadn't been in a dark corridor with her last night begging for her to tell me what was wrong. I was a good actor.

Tina glanced at Cammie and gazed at me for a minute. Then she smiled and nodded, believing every word.

"Yeah, sure, I saw her at the party," I continued. Then I laughed again.

"But I wasn't with her," I said.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Cammie sitting there stiff, her eyes filling with water, and her face red. I couldn't look her in the eye, not after what I just did.

"Zach," Cammie said, trying to get my attention.

"See ya later," I muttered, not looking her direction. I couldn't look at her. I just got up and left the table.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry that I haven't written in a while. I'll try to write sooner than I did before! Thanks for all the reviews and for putting this on favorites or subscribing to it! It's much appreciated. And I would also like to send a shoutout to The-Gallagher-Girl-Zammie. This is dedicated to all of you :)**

I was practicing my punches against the heavy punching bag in the P&E barn when I heard Cammie coming in.

"You liar!" she screamed.

There was no doubt that this was directed towards me. Her face was pure anger. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and her light green eyes were slits glaring at me. Her mouth was a hard line and her eyebrows were furrowed in an angry line. We were partners in P&E and for the first time in my life, I'll admit, I was a little nervous. I mean, come on, she's a highly trained spy. But, she was only a girl after all, so she couldn't punch _that_ hard. And there was no possible way that she was better than me. But still. She did look mad. Really mad.

I kept punching and collected myself before I answered. Then I smiled and stopped beating the bag for a second.

"Spy," I answered calmly.

Then I continued practicing my punches. She took a deep breath and didn't say anything for a long moment. I continued punching, getting into a steady rhythm. Sweat droplets started collecting on my forehead but I didn't stop. I just added more blows to my constant rhythm.

"Zach! You know I didn't breach security last night. You know I didn't cause the Code Black," she insisted angrily.

I stopped punching the bag and took a step away from it, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand.

"Oh, I thought it was a false alarm," I said innocently.

Her hand crashed against the red punching back and it spun around from the force of the blow. I raised my eyes, not disguising my approval.

"Not bad," I remarked.

I stepped closer and held the bag for her next punch.

"Put your shoulder into it now," I offered.

"I know how to do it," she snapped.

"Do you?" I asked mockingly and smiled at her fuming expression.

In a flash, there was a whirl of nutmeg hair as she pounded the bag with a deadly kick. The bag was, unfortunately, still in my arms and it flew back and hit me smack in the stomach. I couldn't breathe for a minute and I knelt there doubled over, gasping for breath. She stood over me, looking frightened at her own fury and worried over my hurt body. The air soon returned to my lungs.

"Nice one, Gallagher girl," I said in a raspy voice.

"Don't call me-" she began, but I interrupted her before she could finish.

"Look," I said softly, stepping closer to her and gently putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Do you really want everyone knowing we were together?" I asked, barely above a whisper. I paused a moment before continuing.

"Do you think that maybe what happened last night isn't any of Tina Walter's business?" I challenged, my voice rising slightly.

I took a deep breath and smiled, wiping the sweat off of my upper lip.

"Besides, I thought you liked your interludes secret and mysterious. Your boyfriends private."

Then I stopped a moment, surprised at my own bluntness. She froze and her eyes widened.

"We weren't having an interlude. And you are not my boyfriend," she said curtly.

My pride did a nose dive with those words. I turned away and tried to grab a hold of my feelings. I turned my hurt on the punching bag and once again banged my fists against the bag.

"Yeah. I noticed," I said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in my voice as I whirled my fist back and slammed it into the bag harder.

A look of shock quickly spread across Cammie's face with my glum remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in puzzlement.

I stopped my blows for a moment and watched the bag swing back and forth. Then I shook my head and tried to get back to my cool collected self.

"You're the Gallagher Girl. You figure it out," I retorted.

"Besides, at my school, we learn how to keep a secret," I said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I know. I go to school like yours," she reminded me.

I turned to face her completely and gazed into her light green eyes.

"Do you?" I asked softly.


	10. Chapter 10

"Group bonding?" Grant groaned.

"That's what he said," I answered.

Dr. Steve had just announced to all the guys that tonight we would be having group bonding. Of course, no one actually thought for a moment that we were going to sit in a circle bonding over our brotherhood. We all just assumed that it must be some secret code for, "Going over the rules of the Blackthorne Boys," or "Rules about not telling Gallagher girls why we're really here," or "A meeting about not getting too close to any of these girls." I failed on the last one. Slightly.

I sighed as I sat on the bed and glanced at our spotless floors, pure white walls, and neatly stacked books on the desks. Everything was squeaky clean, not the typical high school boy's messy room. Then again, we weren't normal boys. Grant ruffled his hair and bent over to pick up a pair of his socks off the floor and placed them neatly in a drawer. Jonas sat quietly at his laptop and the constant tapping of keys allowed me to guess that he was probably typing that extra credit assignment for Mr. M. I glanced at the clock.

"Come on guys, it's time," I announced.

* * *

The next morning I was slipping on a pair of black sneakers when I realized that there was something on the bottom of it. I carefully picked it out, careful not to crush the little black object. I turned it off by a tiny switch on the side. It looked like an audio bug, but just to be sure I placed it in front of Jonas as he slipped on his shoes.

"What's that?" Grant asked from across the room.

"A bug," Jonas shrugged and glanced up at me.

"I didn't know you were making audio surveillance. It's a really nice one, but I mean," he carefully looked it over, scrutinizing it.

"It's just a bug. Not even video on it," Jonas finished.

He tossed it back at me and finished tying his shoe. Zach lost interest and resumed to putting on his shirt. But, I just sat on the neatly made bed (careful not to crease the covers or I'd have to make it again), and looked at the little object in my palm. Who would bug me? Then a thought flashed into my mind, Gallagher girl. The spy girl who hated not being told a secret. The spy girl who, with the help of her friends, would find out the answers to the questions she had. At least, according to her background information. If any wanted to know who I really was, it was her.

* * *

When I left dinner I headed straight to the room. Where there was one bug, more were sure to follow. Grant was busy flirting with some girls and even Jonas was talking with Liz quietly. I'd have to bother him about that later. So I was alone in the bedroom. I didn't say a word, because I knew that they could hear everything I said. I just carefully searched our shoes, walls, floors, and ceilings for the small bugs and carefully switched them off. Then, on a hunch, I searched through some of the other guys' bedrooms as well. There were bugs there too. Then I stopped. What if I just left a few bugs, that way they wouldn't know that I knew. I could let them think that they were better than me. I smiled and left a few. The game was on.

* * *

The next day I was careful not to talk to Cammie. I knew she was planning something, but she would have to come up to me. It didn't take long. At the end of C&A class (we had just learned the art of drinking tea, I mean what spy was saved by learning how to drink tea?) Cammie approached me softly.

"Hey Gallagher girl," I said with a smile.

She looked up at me and smiled slightly. Well, it was a start. I stopped in the hall and leaned against the wall.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

As if I didn't know that she was trying to use her training against me. As if she hadn't placed bugs all over my room and in my shoe. As if she wasn't about to put on some act and do who knows what. As if she knew more than I did.

"Mr. Smith says our midterm papers have to be a joint project. And my mother said that I should make an effort to 'embrace the collaborative nature of this exchange experience,'" she said hurriedly.

I raised my eyebrows slightly.

"And you want to embrace me?"

I smiled as her cheeks reddened.

"Only in the academic sense. Look, do you want to do this project or not?" she asked curtly.

I looked at her green eyes darting nervously at the floor and at me. Then I watched some girls giggling and whispering as they strode past us.

"So?" she asked again, waiting for my reply. I grinned.

"Sure, Gallagher girl."

I turned and started walking down the hallway. I noticed a lot of eight grade girls gathering in the hall between us so I decided to make the best of the moment.

"It's a date!" I yelled and saw the blood rushing to her face once again before I headed to class.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while so I wrote a lot for you. I hope you like it, I had a lot of fun writing it. It was a little tricky to get him not too mushy, but still show that he cared. Thank you to all who have read and subscribed, but especially to those who have reviewed. Please know that I read every single review and every one makes my day! :) I would like to send a few shoutouts to some reviewers. Thanks to all but especially: rozaveRnB, zanyfella, volleyballGoddess13, and all the Anonymous'! Now please continue reading...**

I arrived at the library 5 minutes early and I found a spot way in the back, might as well have some fun right? I slipped my jacket on my chair, lay my backpack on the desk and got out a few books. It wasn't time yet so I decided to start my reading homework for tonight since I was bored. I was 4 pages in, when I saw Gallagher girl walk in through the front door. I glanced at my watch, right on time.

My eyes took in every detail. She was wearing a backpack hung loosely on her shoulders. She had on a casual olive green shirt and jeans with sneakers. Her blonde hair was loose and she casually flipped her hair back as she looked for me. Her green eyes carefully searched throughout the library and stopped when she saw me staring back at her. She walked slowly towards me and swung her backpack on the desk beside mine.

"Hello, Gallagher Girl."

She gave me a small smile and eyed the suspicious location that I had picked for our study date. She gave me a look and rolled her eyes before plopping down in the chair beside me and reached for a textbook from her bag.

"So," she said, glancing at me, "what should we start on?"

I paused a minute before answering. Hmm.. I don't know, why don't you tell me the real reason you invited me on this "study date?" Why don't you explain why you planted bugs all over my room? What exactly were you hoping to hear? Why don't we start with you admitting that you're trying to get close to me only so you can get information? That would be a good place to start.

But I didn't say any of that. Because, a good spy knows that one of the most important skills is not how to kill a guy 7 different ways with a highlighter, but the art of patience. So instead I shrugged.

"I don't know," I answered.

There was a long silence, so I went back to reading my textbook and ignored Cammie fidgeting while she attempted to read her notes.

"Zach," she said quietly, her voice cutting through the utter silence that had attacked our table.

I looked at her.

"So, I was thinking we could look at the impact of propaganda in third world economies?" she said asked me hesitantly.

Really?

"That's what you were thinking?" I asked, with raised eyebrows.

"Yes," she replied with a puzzled expression.

I watched her baffled expression silently and then resumed back to my textbook.

5 minutes later she spoke again.

"So ... I guess we should outline the report and maybe summarize our notes and-"

"Gallagher Girl," I interrupted before she could ramble on.

I looked deeply into her green eyes.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" I said quietly.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head in fake bewilderment.

Then without another word she looked back at her textbook, so I continued to read mine, again.

I hadn't read more than a paragraph when she started speaking. Again! I mean what is it with girls that they feel like they have to talk and talk and talk. I already knew what she was doing so she was clearly not hiding anything by talking about nothing. In fact, she was just making it plainly obvious.

"So…" she began.

I didn't even raise my head from my textbook. I let out a small sigh and raised my eyes to look at her.

"Sooooo…" I repeated.

"So what do you think of the Gallagher Academy?" she asked, watching my expression carefully.

I almost burst out laughing, but then stopped myself since we were in a library after all. I mean, really? Of all the questions. What do I think of Gallagher? I think the girls are extremely nosy and they're sticking their noses in places where they don't belong. I think they're persistent and they just can't take no for an answer.

I think they're stubborn and chatty and funny and kind and caring and brave but vulnerable and beautiful and- well those might just be the ones I met. Well, only one girl in particular. Except chatty, they're all chatty.

She was watching me, waiting for an answer.

"Oh. It's swell."

We went back to reading our books. I attempted to read but I kept reading the same sentence over and over again because I couldn't concentrate. Suddenly two 8th grade girls came running over to us and stopped short when they saw Cammie and I. They stared at us and quickly ran away giggling and whispering. I looked over to see Cammie's reaction. Her face was blank, perfectly emotionless.

"You handled that pretty well," I told her, casually nodding to where they had been.

"Well, I've had some practice, I guess. Besides, sticks and stones," she replied casually.

Then she turned back to her notebook and continued reading.

I subtly watched her while she read, her bight green eyes scanning her notes and her mouth twitching in concentration. She was gorgeous, just in jeans and a shirt. I was falling, hard.

I shook my head. Come on Zach. You're a spy, a well trained one at that. The best kid in this whole school. I couldn't let some girl take my mind off of everything. Why did my palms get sweaty whenever she was near? Why did my heart leap in my chest every time she smiled at me? I mean she was a girl, yes, a dangerous one, but still nothing more than a human of the opposite gender. Plus I had to break this off not only for my sake, but for hers. I was too dangerous for her. She could never be with somebody like… me.

And anyways, she didn't even like me back. She could have cared less about me. She was just trying to trick me into giving her information. I mean, she planted bugs in my room. How much more proof did I need? I was obviously the enemy in her mind, not the boyfriend. No matter how much I wished I was. I had to break my feeling for this Gallagher girl. Now. Before it was too late.

But for right now, I guess I would play her little game. She thought she was playing me, but she obviously didn't realize what a real spy was.

"I gotta say," I said calmly, leaning back in my chair and casually lacing my fingers behind my head, watching her.

"I'm a little disappointed," I continued.

"Disappointed!" she cried.

I laughed at her outburst.

"Yeah, Gallagher Girl. I thought you had a reputation for being... Proactive?"

"Yeah, " she said with a shrug.

"Well, what would you do if everyone thought you had breached security?"

I smiled and leaned forward in my chair. The front legs of the chair slammed against the hardwood floor with a crack.

"I'd probably find out everything I could about everyone who... was new ?" I continued nonchalantly.

"Who maybe didn't have an alibi on the night of the ball? I might even try to get close to anyone I suspected, " I murmured and leaned in towards her.

"I might even bug their rooms if I got the chance," I said, watching her shocked face.

"Hahahahaha!" Her nervous laughter echoed throughout the quiet library.

"But you wouldn't do any of that," I smiled, as I stood up.

"Would you, Gallagher Girl?"

"Of course I-" she began to stammer.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out a bug before she could finish. I dropped the bug on the table, then leaned close to her ear and whispered gently,

"I'm not all bad, Gallagher Girl."

I pulled my jacket from the back of the chair and turned to walk away. I turned around to look at her again.

"Of course, I'm not all good, either," I told her with a smirk.

She sat staring at the bug as I walked to the door. Right before I got to the corner I stole one last glance at her and called,

"Thanks for the date!"


	12. Chapter 12

**You guys are amazing. Seriously. I don't understand how you guys can stay so loyal when I'm so busy and don't update in forever. Thanks so much for being wonderful fans! I've been constantly reading your reviews begging me to update, so I finally had a chance too.**

**This chapter was a little difficult. I tried to write what I honestly think Zach was feeling. There's a little reference to book 4 at the end, in case you haven't read it. But it doesn't give anything away. Please review and tell me what you think, or if you don't have time to review just enjoy reading. But, if you have a chance, I'd love to hear from you guys.**

**Thanks a million!**

* * *

"Lies," Mr. Solomon began the next morning as we walked into the classroom.

I took my seat and listened.

"We tell them to our friends. We tell them to our enemies. And eventually... We tell them to ourselves. "

He turned to write on the board.

"A lie is typically accompanied by what physical symptoms, Ms. Lee?" Joe asked.

"Dilated pupils, increased pulse, and atypical mannerisms, " Kim Lee blurted.

I sighed, this was just a review. These girls learned from textbooks and lectures, I learned from living. But I respected Joe enough to keep listening. He knew what he was talking about.

"Spies tell lies, ladies and gentlemen, but that's not what today is about. Today, is about how to spot them. Now, a seasoned operative, will know how to control their pulse and voice," he glanced at me and I nodded.

Let's just say that I am pretty good at lying. I mean, it is my life. Joe continued.

"But for the purpose of today's lesson, I think these will come in handy," he handed all of us little colorful rings.

Oh goodness. Why did Joe just hand me a mood ring? Culture and Assimilation, dances, mood rings, what next? I thought Joe, of all people, wouldn't go crazy at this school. I'm leaving if someone takes out a Barbie. No questions, I'm hopping the wall.

"Dr. Fibs has been kind enough to share these prototypes of a new portable voice-stress analyzer he's developing," Joe continued.

"It's equipped with a microchip that will monitor a person's voice, and if they are lying, it will vibrate very softly, alerting the wearer to the lie."

Okay, so Joe hasn't turned to the dark side. Well, I guess in my world it's all the dark side. But, he hasn't turned over to the… pink, glitter, tea parties (not the revolutionary type), and jewelry side. I grabbed a ring as they went around the class. I will say that Gallagher had some pretty cool gadgets. Although, can't they make them boy friendly? I mean, it would be a little weird if I was wearing a mood ring on a mission. Joe was still talking so I decided to tune back in.

"And the rings can be fooled, with training. For example, ask me a question, Ms. Walters-any question."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, classes here were a little different than Blackthorne. Of all the questions.

Joe bit back a smile and said calmly, "No."

I promise you, I saw about ten girls sigh with relief. It was disgusting. The ring didn't vibrate.

"Nothing. It didn't do anything. So it's true?" Tina asked hesitantly.

I smiled. It was never that easy in real life.

"Ask me again," Joe prompted.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes."

Tina looked down in bewilderment at the ring in her hand. She shook it as if it had fallen asleep. I guess I was the only one who knew just how good Joe was.

"It's not broken, Ms. Walters. It's just not as good detecting lies as I am at telling them," he explained.

Cammie quickly glanced at me and turned her head away again when she realized I saw her looking.

"Partner with the person across from you. Watch their eyes, pay attention to their voice. And see if you can guess who's lying," Joe continued.

I didn't even need to turn to see who was across from me. I had the feeling that this wasn't an accident. I would get Joe later for this. I turned to Cammie with a smile. Might as well enjoy it.

"Oh, this should be fun."

She seemed to be racking her brain for ways to get out of this but after a minute she sighed and scrutinized me with the ring on her hand.

"What is your name?" she asked seriously, her brows furrowing deeply.

"Zach."

"What's your full name?"

"That's a pretty boring question, Gallagher Girl," I commented.

"Zach!"

"Yes, that's correct," I laughed.

I grabbed her right hand gently.

"See- not lying."

She watched me intently for a minute.

"Where were you during the Code Black?"

I smiled.

"That's better."

"Answer the-"

"I was with you. Remember?"

I leaned over the desk to watch her face better.

"My turn," I grinned.

"Did you have fun last night?"

Why I asked that question, I'll never know. It just popped out before I had a chance to stop it.

"Zach, I really don't think that's what Mr. Solomon is going for with this particular exercise," she mumbled, a blush rising to her face.

"I'll take that as a yes. We should really do it again sometime," I told her.

She glanced quickly at the ring, but it didn't vibrate. Then she cleared her throat and continued.

"Where are you from?"

"The Blackthorne Institute for Boys," I sang, growing bored of these dull questions.

"What do your parents do?"

My breath was trapped in my throat. I didn't move. Such a normal question. But, my answer was anything but normal. Images of mom and dad flooded through my brain.

I hurriedly tried to collect my thoughts before I gave anything anyway. I straightened my notebook and took a deep breath.

"What do you think they do?" I tried to ask nonchalantly.

"They were CIA?" she gently whispered, attempting to understand my reaction.

"Used to be," I replied.

She didn't say anything. She just looked at me sadly.

Maybe she thought that I was like her. Maybe she thought that I had lost a wonderful, good parent who had died while trying to save the country. But my family story was nothing like hers.

Evil ran through my veins.

I tried to ignore it, deny it, forget it. But, it was there. Flowing just beneath my skin. There was nothing I could do. I could pretend to be innocent or try to fight for the good cause. But no matter what I tried to do, I couldn't deny it any longer.

I was evil.


	13. Chapter 13

I stood by the fireplace waiting for Cammie to exit from another passageway that she used often. I just stared at the crackling fire, without any other place to be or an assignment to complete. Just staring at the flickering yellow flames rising and falling as they consumed the wood.

I had let Cammie see me without a cover. I didn't know if that was a decision I would regret yet. I guess I would find out in time. It was a mistake to be vulnerable, which I had been. But, why did it feel so good to be helpless for once? When I opened up to her I didn't feel scared. I felt, free.

The fire slowly calmed and gradually went out. A small ribbon of gray smoke lingered in the air. Then, I heard light footsteps behind the fireplace.

"So, the tour is closed, huh?" I asked softly.

She bolted upright and banged her head on the top of the fireplace.

"Ow! What are you doing here?" she asked clutching the back of her head.

Great job, Zach. The poor girl just slammed her head into a stone fireplace because of you.

"Come on," I said gently, brushing my fingers against the bump starting to form on her head.

She looked up at me with confusion in her wide green eyes and tried to pull herself away. But, instead I pulled her closer and she let me.

"You'll live," I concluded with a smile.

"You're being nice," she whispered in disbelief.

"Don't tell anyone," I murmured.

I took my hand from her hair and crossed my arms. I nodded toward the passageway and smiled.

"So… did your bugs hear anything interesting?"

Her eyebrows furrowed realizing that I had left them there on purpose, but she didn't say a word. I watched her for a minute and then calmly slid my hands in my pockets and spoke into the silence.

"What is it, Gallagher Girl? No snappy comebacks? Nonexistent cat named Suzie got your tongue?"

"How do you know about Suzie?" she asked me with a glare.

"Spy," I reminded her, pointing to myself.

The moonlight enveloped the room and we stood there simply looking at each other, trying to find all the answers to our questions without saying a single word. Her green eyes bored into my brown ones. It felt like she could see right through me.

It felt so wonderful to be looked at with innocence. For someone to not look at me and see my mother, reflected in my features. To not feel the looks of wariness and disgust. For one person, Cammie, to see me. Only me.

Without a thought to whether it was right or wrong, I leaned towards the look of innocence. I ignored the warnings of caution and just let myself do what I had wanted to do, for so long. My hand reached towards her face and I brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.

Then I pulled my hand away quickly. What was I doing? I hurriedly put my hands in my pocket and looked towards the floor, so my eyes wouldn't give me away. I couldn't kiss her! Here I was supposed to be protecting her, but instead I was her biggest threat. I stood there, cursing at myself in the silence with Cammie gazing at me in confusion.

Her innocence protected her from guessing my secrets. The walls that sheltered her hid her from pure evil. But even she was not completely sheltered from pain. There were a few holes in that wall that even her family, school, and friends (even if they were all spies) couldn't save her from. Her dad had died. She had felt gut wrenching sorrow in her life.

Yet, she still didn't know me. She only looked at me with innocence because she didn't know who I was. If she knew, she would hate me, just like everyone else. She didn't know my past. My childhood, my family, my schooling. Nothing.

"Why don't you ask me about it? About them?"

My question cut through the stillness. Her breath caught slightly.

My eyes swept over hers.

"I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours," I murmured.

Then, I froze.

I trusted her. I could feel myself breaking down and putting away my legend. Being vulnerable. My mind struggled to remember reason and everything I've been taught, everything I've learned. But, I didn't.

Cammie had walls surrounding her by her family and school. They were as real as the ivy covered walls surrounding the Gallagher grounds. But, I had my walls too. Not against innocence, but against weakness. They were crumbling and it was too late to pick up the pieces. So I stood there, facing Gallagher girl, and for the first time there were no walls to protect me.

Cammie gazed at me and a glint of fear flashed across her eyes. For the first time, she was the one staying strong while I fell into my weakness. She reached her hand towards me, but then pulled it back quickly.

"It was a mission," she stated bluntly, her eyes staring at the floor.

"Four years ago my dad went on a mission. He didn't come home. Nobody knows what... happened," her sentence ended in a whisper.

Her eyes drifted to mine.

"Somebody knows," I said plainly.

Her eyes widened and her bottom lip quivered. Her eyes squinted ever so slightly.

"What? What are you saying?" she asked.

"I'm saying somebody knows," I replied curtly.

I continued on, my voice gaining strength.

"I'm saying you shouldn't act like there aren't any answers just because you haven't taken the time to look for them."

"What am I supposed to do, Zach? I'm just-"

"Just a girl?"

I shrugged and sighed.

"I thought you were a Gallagher Girl," I told her gently.

Then I quietly walked away and gave her time to think.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you so much guys for your amazing comments :)_

_I'd especially like to thank **Lightning**, since I can't message you back and you wrote such sweet things. It made me feel so great and your begging me to update really pushed me to keep writing (along with the others)! I'm so dreadfully sorry for my late update, craziness with the end of the school year._

_Just a note, I will be going to live with my Amish friend for 2 weeks, so no electricity. But I will ATTEMPT to update before and I will try to update more throughout the summer._

_Thanks guys for being so loyal and for your comments and critiques. If you have any suggestions, critique, or even compliments, I'd love to hear them! _

* * *

I kept myself away from Cammie for two weeks. Not one teasing comment or wink or smirk. I walked different ways to classes so I wouldn't have to force myself away from walking with her.

Now you might be wondering, why was I trying so hard to avoid her? Well, not to sound like the regular heroic bad boy, but she really does deserve someone better. I couldn't like anyone. I was a lone wolf. But, suddenly, I felt my walls crumbling down when I was around her. I felt the need to protect her and shield her. In my life, I couldn't have that. I didn't want to play with her heart, when I knew that I would only hurt her.

So I tried for two whole weeks to avoid her. To break myself away from her and hopefully she would forget about me. But after two weeks I realized that I couldn't tear myself away. I mean, I tried. Really I did. I've always been able to get up and walk away from anything or anyone. I don't have strings attached. But Gallagher girl was holding me down with a steel cable.

So after two weeks of this I realized that these feelings for Cammie weren't going anywhere. Then, I came to the conclusion that I might as well do it right. So I decided to ask her out, properly.

I felt my cocky self returning when I sat down at my desk to write the note. I had to be casual and play it cool. But, I still actually had to ask her out. Finally, I managed to scribble the following words:

_So I hear we get to go to town this weekend. Want to catch a movie or something?_

_—Z_

_P.S. That is, if Jimmy doesn't mind._

My message complete, I began wondering how to give it to her. Not in front of her friends or mine, I didn't want to deal with screaming girls or teasing guys. So, alone. And how? Something not dramatic. A brush pass. Smooth, clean, and secretive. Perfect.

The next day I watched her leave the Grand Hall and I casually bumped against her. "Sorry," I mumbled without looking in her eyes. My hand had already gently put the note in her pocket. Then I kept walking, careful to look like nothing had happened.

* * *

Saturday morning, the sun was shining through the windows and the day looked bright and cheerful. Unfortunately, I wasn't. For the first time in my life, I was extremely frustrated with my hair. Not that my hair was always perfect, it was just that I had never tried to do anything with it before. But, Joe had informed me that doing my hair in an amazing way was the number one thing to do for a date. And since this was a date, I figured I had to play by the rules.

So I stood there in front of the mirror with gel, attempting to create the perfect hair style that combined mystery, romance, and danger. But, of course it would have to look as natural as possible. It was quite difficult. I mean, I could knock down a group of highly trained agents in less than a minute, brush pass flawlessly, speak over a dozen languages fluently, and so much more, but this all seemed like nothing compared to being able to mess my hair up in all the right places!

Finally, completely annoyed, I angrily ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head. I never played by the rules anyway, why should I start now? But when I glanced at the mirror once more, it was perfect. With a smirk I reminded myself that nothing was too hard for Zachary Goode. Not a date with Cammie and definitely not my hair.

* * *

Cammie and I were walking slowly through the streets of Roseville. In silence. I guess it didn't help that there was a huge parade. The whole town was celebrating. My spy training picked up every detail. The old ladies selling brownies and raffle tickets, the marching band, the parents pushing strollers and buying cotton candy for toddlers, the teenagers holding hands down the sidewalk, the stereotypical perfect little town.

Cammie lightly coughed and after a minute she spoke.

"Do you want to do something?" she asked softly.

"We could go to a movie or get something to eat," I answered.

"Okay."

I sounded way too eager. I bit my lip.

"Or we could just… walk," I continued.

"Okay," she repeated.

She wasn't even listening to me. This wasn't how dates were supposed to go right? There should be more talking, more laughing, more fun. I should be smooth and suave and she should be laughing. Not looking down at the ground awkwardly.

"Or we could have the clown over there paint our faces and then go rob the bank," I rambled.

"No way. Last October they installed a Stockholm Series 360—it's take us at least 45 minutes to crack it," she said with a smile.

"Good to know," I laughed.

It felt better to share a laugh, even a small one over something stupid. We kept walking quietly.

Then, suddenly, I had the sudden urge to ask Gallagher girl why she was going on a date with me. I just wanted to tear away the covers that we put up and figure out what the real Cammie thought of me. I liked her. I had figured this out now, but I didn't know if she liked me. Was she just trying to honeypott me? But, it wasn't like me to fall for a honeypott.

I was cool and mysterious. _Not_ wanting desperately to just hold Cammie's hand. _Not _inwardly agonizing over whether she liked me too.

What was I doing? I glanced over at Cammie to see if she noticed me rambling in my head, but she was in her own world.

I'm Zachary Goode, a top spy. Cool and confident. I don't agonize over these things. I do something about it. So before I could talk myself out of it, I reached for her hand and led her through the crowded sidewalks to somewhere more private.


	15. Chapter 15

I gently guided her around a corner and onto a quiet side street.

She leaned against the side of a building and I relaxed my arm beside her and leaned over her.

"So, plant any good bugs lately?" I asked softly.

Her eyes were a warm light green, searching my face. It suddenly became completely silent. Every beat of my heart was ringing through my ears. Her face was inches from mine and I could hardly breathe. I gently curled my fingers around the back of her neck.

"Just so you know, Gallagher Girl, I'm going to kiss you now," I whispered.

Cammie's eyes widened at my words, but she didn't move away.

Suddenly, in the corner of my eye, I noticed the reflection of Jimmy and the pink flamingo coming our way. Jimmy might as well see what he was missing.

My fingers laced through her silky hair and I gently pulled her closer. Her eyes fluttered close and she breathed lightly. I tilted my head and leaned in.

"Oh my goodness! Cammie, is that you?" DeeDee squealed.

I muttered a cuss word in Farsi as I took a step back.

Cammie's eyes widened and she looked dazed and confused.

"Hi, Cammie. I'm so glad you two are here!" Deedee continued smiling at me.

Cammie looked at Josh and quickly backed away from me.

Deedee and Cammie small-talked for a few minutes and then we all started walking down the sidewalk together, Cammie and I a few steps behind the other two. She seemed slightly distracted.

"Hey, you're gonna think I'm crazy," Cammie whispered.

"A little late for that, Gallagher girl," I smiled.

"You haven't seen anyone following us, have you?"

I laughed, remembering seeing Liz, Bex, and Macey attempting to tail me stealthily.

"You mean besides your roommates?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Yeah. Besides them."

"No. I haven't seen anyone on our tail. Why?"

"The guy. The blue jacket. "

DeeDee glanced back at us, so Cammie switched to spy slang.

"Don't you think he's toasty in that heavy coat?"

Knowing that she was really asking if the guy in the blue jacket was an operative, I turned slightly. I casually took in everything from the sight of the convertibles carrying the Founders' Day Princess and her court to the way DeeDee said hi to almost everyone we passed.

I'd seen him hanging around Roseville, tailing us, clearly an operative of some sort. I also remembered him talking to Dr. Steve, so I figured he was probably just making sure none of the precious little spy kids got in trouble.

"What about him?" I asked.

"The jacket's reversible. Ten minutes ago he was wearing it the other way. Do you think a lot of regular guys in Roseville take the time to reverse their jackets?"

We casually looked at him through a store window.

"Look at that guy, Gallagher Girl. He's a mustard disaster looking for a place to happen. I bet you anything he's got a big stain on the other side," I tried to convince her.

There was no point in blowing an operative's cover if he clearly didn't want to be known.

I faked a laugh, attempting to put her at ease.

"Now what are you two chatting about?" the pink flamingo asked cheerfully, too cheerful if you ask me.

I mean, I'm honestly not a really grouchy person. But, it's just not natural for someone to be so happy and bright and pink.

"Oh, Cammie was trying to convince me that I should recognize that guy in the blue jacket. But I've never seen him before in my life," I explained, glancing at Cammie.

She just looked down at her hands quietly. Then she quickly looked back up and with a smile grabbed DeeDee's arm.

"I've got to go to the bathroom!"

"I'll walk with you," I offered.

"No, it's a girl thing," she explained, glancing at DeeDee with a giggle.

The pink flamingo eagerly wrapped her arm in Cammie's and started down the sidewalk.

I watched them walking away and sighed. Then I remembered that I wasn't alone. I cast a glance at Jimmy or Jake or Josh or whatever his name is.

Okay, so I did know what his name was. I had been trained to memorize everything and anything. Unfortunately, this made it easy to memorize the real name of Cammie's ex-boyfriend. But, I would rather pretend I didn't know.

"So…Jimmy was it?" I asked Josh.

He clenched his jaw and forced a smile.

"Josh. Was it… Zeke?" he asked, his blue eyes hardened and shot daggers at me.

Little did he know I was trained for real ones.

"Zach."

There was a long pause.

"Sweet town you got here," I commented.

"I guess. But Cammie always loved it," he added, a small smile on his face, looking for my reaction.

"I'll have to take her around here more often."

He shot me an angry glance.

There was another long pause. I watched the people in the streets, but suddenly I realized that the Gallagher girls were strangely absent. And Cammie had been gone for an awful long time. My instincts were telling me that something wasn't right.

"Well, I better go see what Cammie's up to," I told Jimmy.

"Sure, see ya."

I left and quickly rounded up Grant, Jonas, and some of the junior Blackthorne guys. After explaining all I knew, they told me that they were being tracked too and that all the girls had left together.

"What could they be up to?" I muttered.

"I guess we'll have to find them to figure that out," one of the juniors commented.

"So how are we supposed to track them?" Grant asked.

They all started talking amongst themselves, coming up with ideas and ditching them. We couldn't get anywhere.

"Wait a second," I muttered.

Then, I laughed. They looked at me strangely.

"Jonas, do you know how to tweak a signal to track a tracking mechanism?"

"Yeaaah…" he answered, not sure what I was getting at.

"I bet those girls have tracking devices on us. If you can switch the signal, then we'll track them," I explained.

Before I'd even finished, Grant had found one on his shoe. Less than a minute later, Jonas had tweaked the signal and we were on our way to finding the Gallagher girls.

What crazy mess were they in this time?


	16. Chapter 16

**I have a question for you guys. Some of you have been asking me if I'm planning to do this for the next book (Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover). I just found the book online to use, so now it's up to you guys.**

**If I continue, I'll be like this or slower in updating (because of school). But I will try to continue updating whenever I can. If you guys would rather leave it like this or are annoyed with how slow I am (sorry), I understand as well. Please leave a review so I can get an idea as to what you guys want! **

**And by the way, thank you all for making me feel so good whenever I write this. With your amazing reviews, or making this a favorite, or even the people who just subscribe and read. I sincerely appreciate you guys taking the time. Have a wonderful day and please enjoy :)**

* * *

We had followed the girls to a seemingly abandoned ruin…seemingly is the key word here. It was covered in motion sensors and every type of defensive technology available. We began deactivating them and soon realized that the girls were deactivating some for us too.

We quickly spread out and went to look for the girls, and maybe ask them what in the world they were doing.

It was dark. I was on the roof looking below. The wind howled around me and I walked quietly in the silence.

Then, I saw Cammie in between two buildings near me. The moonlight was dancing on her hair as she quietly sneaked in my direction, glancing at her watch. That must be where her trackers were.

Silently, I lowered my rappel-a-cord down and landed nimbly near her. Glancing at her watch, her eyes widened. Before she could yell, I quickly clamped my fingers over her mouth and wrapped my other arm around her waist. Then I clicked my rappel-a-cord to raise me back up to the roof. I gripped her tightly as our feet left the floor.

"Cam," I murmured gently as our feet touched the roof.

She said nothing. She didn't even turn around. She stared at her watch blinking like crazy and immediately she stepped back into me and tried to flip me over her head.

Instinctively, I countered my weight, stopping her attack.

"It's me. It's Zach," I whispered, trying to calm her down.

A searchlight swept over the building and Cam and I automatically dropped to the floor.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you off this building right now," she growled.

The anger seeped into her voice and I knew she was completely serious.

"Give me one good reason why-" she started again, but I heard people coming and I rolled towards her, stopping her threat.

My arm fell around her shoulders as my body pressed against hers.

"I'll give you two," I whispered.

Two armed guards walked around the corner in the exact same place Cam had been before.

We lay in silence, listening to the footsteps fade away. As soon as they were safely gone she shoved herself away from me.

"What's going on Zach? Who was that man in town?" she said softly.

Then, in a flash, she cinched my arm behind my back and rolled me on my stomach.

Grant would have laughed. Good thing he wasn't here.

"How did you find this place? Who is down there, and what are they going to do with the list?" she asked, her voice rising in fury with each question.

"Well, first of all, ouch," I hissed.

But, she just glared at me.

"Second, I came back to school after you ditched me in town with Jimmy-"

"Josh!" she snapped.

"I came back to the school after you ditched me- thanks for that, by the way. Then it's all Code Black again and you and your whole class were gone. We figured you'd tracked us, so we tweaked the signal so we could follow your tracking mechanism. And here we are."

"Who's we?" she growled, gripping my arm tighter.

"Seriously, Gallagher Girl, that hurts like a—Ow!" I yelped as she twisted harder.

"Grant, Jonas, some of the juniors. They're here too. They're out there with your girls," I answered.

She glanced over the side of the building and I took that second of distraction to roll her under me and pin her hands down.

"Cammie. Look at me," I snapped.

She squirmed and kicked, but I held her down.

"Gallagher Girl," I begged gently.

She stopped moving and looked at me, hard. She gazed into my eyes and it seemed like she was searching for something, like she was searching…for me.

But, of course she could never find me, because I was supposed to be invincible, untouchable, and unemotional. I only took care of myself and I didn't care about anyone.

The ideal spy.

Allowing Cammie to sneak through my stone walls would only cause trouble for everyone involved.

So, I was better off never being found.

"You lied," she whispered, looking down.

Her eyes were swimming with tears, but I knew she wouldn't let them fall. She was too strong for that.

"I know you lied in town, Zach. I know you've seen the man who was on our tail."

Then, I caught my breath.

"That's what this is about?" I asked in disbelief. I couldn't help but exhale a laugh.

"You ditched me in town and organized a war party because I lied about knowing that guy?"

Her head snapped towards me and her eyes lit up with fury.

"No, I organized a war party because someone knocked Mr. Mosckowitz out and stole the Gallagher Academy alumni list!"

I stopped breathing and my eyes widened in terror. Without realizing it, I released the pressure on Cam's arms and just held her there. I ran through everything that we could do in my mind. But, I realized that before we could do anything, she would need to trust me.

Every person that looked at me, never saw just me. They always saw my mother. Some would try not to wince or glare, other wouldn't even try to stop themselves. No one had ever trusted me completely with the sick image of her in their minds.

But Gallagher girl didn't know her. When she looked at me, she only saw me. For who I was or for who I desperately tried to be.

I pulled her right hand in front of her face so she would see her lie detector ring.

"Here. Look at it," I snapped.

"Or better yet, look at me. Watch my eyes, Cammie. I'm not lying."

She glanced at the stillness of the ring and carefully looked at my eyes while I spoke.

"I'd seen that guy with Dr. Steve before and didn't want to blow his cover. I had no idea he was a threat. I thought he was on a training op or ... I don't know... Checking up on us or something. I didn't think it was a big deal."

I shrugged and moved beside her.

"I didn't think it was worth explaining in front of... " I trailed off.

"Josh and DeeDee."

"We're not the bad guys, Gallagher Girl," I said gently.

She looked at me.

"Then who is?"

I let go of her wrists and pointed into the darkness.

"Him."

One of the doors to the building across from us opened. Four armed guards walked out, and right before the door closed we heard a faint, "Excellent," and saw the face of Dr. Steve.

I never did like that guy.


	17. Chapter 17

_I'm sorry it's short. School is a killer. Thank you guys for your amazing comments :) Please enjoy!_

* * *

Cammie and I hurried to the roof of the building on the northwest corner, while she talked on her comms.

"Dr. Steve," she muttered to someone.

"I know, Chica. Zach's with me," she answered to another Gallagher girl.

For once, I, Zach the loner, was with someone. I was working with someone else on a mission. Oh Cameron Ann Morgan, what have you done to me? I wanted to stop thinking about the why nots and the buts.

What if life could go as I wanted it to? What if I didn't have to sacrifice everything? What if, for once in my life, I ignored what was safe and what was dangerous and just did what I wanted to, without worrying about what would happen later?

But, of course, I'm a spy. And none of that could ever happen.

Cammie rolled her eyes.

"No. Tina needs to get off Grant," she sighed.

I grinned. I would have to bother him about letting a girl tackle him later.

"And bring him to the roof of the building on the northwest corner. They've got some explaining to do," Cammie continued, eyeing me with a suspicious glare in her light green eyes.

* * *

A few minutes later we were on the roof, standing together in silence. We didn't say anything, just sat there thinking of the danger that everyone was in. And wondering if we could even do anything to stop it.

"What's going on, Cam?" a voice with a distinct British accent asked softly.

Bex walked towards us. The moonlight danced on the faces of Gallagher girls appearing around us. I could see Grant beside some of the girls, glancing at me in confusion.

Bex surveyed the scene and seeing me, her chocolate eyes narrowed into slits.

"Want me to throw him off the roof?"

As if she could. I was about to tell her this, but Cammie quickly interrupted Bex's violent thoughts.

"Only if he doesn't tell us what the Blackthorne Institute is and why one of their teachers is out to destroy the Gallagher Girls."

"What do you mean? You know what our school is," Grant protested.

There was silence as the girls looked at us with raised eyebrows. I knew I couldn't tell them anything, but I decided to not treat them like they were stupid.

"You've got your cover. We've got ours," I commented.

Cammie rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"What's that supposed to-"

"You're Gallagher Girls!" I snapped, as the mist around us turned into rain.

The raindrops streaked down my face but I didn't blink. I stared into her wide green eyes and took a step closer.

"We're the stepchild no one ever talks about," I whispered.

"Then what-" she started, but the creak of rusty hinges sliced through the air and we peered over the roof to see two armed guards starting to patrol the grounds.

"He can't get away," she said softly, fear choking at her voice.

"It won't," I promised.

I walked to the edge of the roof and attached a rappelling harness to a cable that skirted down between the buildings.

I didn't know what was happening or why Dr. Steve was involved, or anything. The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to go on this mission alone.

"We've got to now, Cam," I murmured gently and I reached out my hand.

Her crystal green eyes studied me, weighing the options, wondering. I was asking her to ignore the questions and the doubts, and to just trust me. For once, I wasn't hiding. I was out in the open, putting the key in her hand.

"Do you trust me?"

She looked deep into my eyes and I felt like she could see right through me, into my soul, into my thoughts, into my heart. Then, with a small smile, she put her hand in mine.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey guys! It's been a while, sorry. I just wanted to say, thank you guys SO much for your sweet reviews and for subscribing and favoriting this story. I'm so honored. I know this chapter is kind of short, but I figured I would just update it and continue writing instead of waiting a little longer for me to write more. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Again, thanks so much for all your support, especially reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me :)_

* * *

Cammie and I landed gently on the grass and then we darted through the space between the buildings. We crouched low and I was about to suggest a plan of action or at least discuss our options when Cam stood up and ran to the metal door. She banged on the door with her fist and it was all I could do not to grab her and pull her to the ground.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Hey, can one of you guys come give me a hand with this?" she asked, attempting to use a manly voice.

If I wasn't convinced before, now it was quite obvious that she was insane. Mental. Not in her right senses. What was she doing? Had the Gallagher Academy taught future spies to simply walk up to bad guys and expect to be treated nicely?

Oh yes, scary looking dude with a gun. You see, your boss just walked away with a list of all the Gallagher Academy alumni on it. In the wrong hands that could be deadly. So, I was wondering if you could tell me where your boss is, that way I could ask for it back.

WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?

You know, for a second, I thought I was beginning to understand her. But then, she did… this.

All of a sudden, the metal door slammed open and Cam grabbed one of the guards, knocked him out with a swift punch, and slapped a Nicotine patch on his forehead.

Somehow, that actually worked.

"Nice one. Did you learn that in P&E?" I asked.

"No. Buffy the Vampire Slayer," she answered with a grin.

We both looked at the man below us. I immediately recognized him as the man that was leaning against a 1957 Cadillac that stood parked along the Roseville town square. Who knows how many operatives he had.

Cammie and I dragged the man's body to some tall weeds about 20 feet from the door. Then, we quickly checked his pockets.

"Comms," she said, as she pulled out an earpiece and microphone and handed them to me.

I wiggled the earpiece in and instantly a flood of voices pounded through my ears. Cammie peered through the dusty windows of the building.

"Guys, I've got a visual on the subject. Maintain your position until we give you the all clear," she whispered in her comms unit.

I leaned in close to her.

"They've got at least 15 guys."

She quickly turned to me, her nutmeg hair whipping around as she concentrated on my face for clues.

"What do you hear?" she asked.

I held up a finger to shush her and tried to make sense of all the voices in my head. Suddenly, I realized what was about to happen.

"What is it, Zach?" Cammie asked, a slight quiver in her voice as she took in my expression.

I desperately tried to listen to details and a way we could crush Dr. Steve's scheme.

"What's going-"

"Cammie, listen to me," I interrupted, my eyes meeting hers for the first time.

"I don't know where he's going, or what Dr. Steve's planning to do with that list, but…"

I gazed out at the sky, searching for the sight I knew was coming.

"I think I know how he's getting there."

Gently, I placed my hands on her shoulders and turned her to face west. The small red blinking light of the plane was coming fast.

"Guys, we've got a change of plans," she murmured into the comms.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you all so much for your amazingly kind comments and requests to update. I am sorry I am so undeserving of it, but I will attempt to be quicker in the future. There is one more chapter left of this (you didn't think I would miss the best part did you? ) ) and then, I'm planning on continuing with the third book as well since you lovely folks commented your wish for that. I hope you enjoy :)_

The landing gear started down and men began running out of the building. I looked around to assess the situation. We were clearly outnumbered, and outsized judging by the huge men that were coming near us. I would normally say this didn't matter due to my spy abilities, but they were all spies. And most of them had double my experience.

Yet even with these odds, I wouldn't go down without a fight. A quick glance at Cammie's cool calculating gaze and Bex cracking her knuckles told me that they felt the same.

Bex jumped off the roof flattening the man beneath her and swept a leg out, knocking down the man beside her.

"They're here!" the man yelled out as he fell.

In an instant the buzz of rappel-a-cords through pulleys engulfed the silence of the night. Everything was chaos. I touched my earpiece and yelled directions to Bex and Grant.

"Three guys are coming around the south side of the building—go!"

They ran without a word. Beside me Cammie was swiftly knocking down the guards around her. Then I heard Liz, the little blonde fairy-like bookworm, call out to Cammie.

"Cammie, I need a weapon!"

I glanced over at Liz only to find that she was sitting in the cab of a forklift. I chuckled and looked over at Cam. She rolled her eyes and managed to yell out, while struggling with a Napotine patch, "You're sitting in one!"

"Right," Liz said with a smile and then tried to get it to start.

I guess she gave up because I saw her later on top of a guard that was chasing another Gallagher girl. She squeezed for dear life. I smiled and landed a swift kick to a guard's neck, knocking him out cold. Then, I heard a slight yelp and turned to see Liz being flown through the air and knocking down the man in the blue jacket, without throwing a single punch. It was nice to have a little humor to lighten this tense situation.

The humor disappeared when a burly guard headed straight for Liz.

Immediately I lurched myself in between them and felt the guard's fist on my cheek. The pain rushed throughout my face and I stumbled backward but tried to focus through it, holding my hand to my cheek instinctively. My eyes rested on Cammie watching me.

"Go!" I yelled to her, gesturing to Dr. Steve.

She ran towards the plane and I sucked up the sting of the punch and went after the men chasing her.

After a few more blocks and kicks I stole a glance at Gallagher Girl and Dr. Steve. He was on the ground and Bex was delivering her choke hold. Cam grabbed the disc that fell from his pocket.

"You're not taking that anywhere. You're not getting on that plane," she said softly, the anger boiling inside her.

"That's right, Ms. Morgan, he's not," a deep rich voice said behind her, which could only come from one man, Joe.

I walked towards them as the men around me stopped fighting and went to other duties. It was all a test, a clever one, but a test.

Joe checked Dr. Steve and the truth began to dawn on Cam.

"You…You did this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, I had some help," Joe said with a grin.

Then Cam's mom stood by his side and smiled at us.

"Good job, everyone."

"Rebecca?" Mrs. Morgan hissed.

Bex was still wary as she loosened her grip on Dr. Steve.

Joe glanced at his watch with a shrug.

"Forty-two minutes. Not bad," he commented. He turned and called into the darkness.

"What do you think, Harvey?"

Mr. M stepped into the plane's open doorway, perhaps he wasn't quite as terrible a spy as I had believed.

"Hi, girls. How'd I do?" he asked the Gallagher girls around him as he bounced on the balls of his feet with a huge grin lighting up his face.

"It…It was a test?" Cammie asked still in shock.

"Our job isn't to get you ready for tests, Ms. Morgan. Our job is to get you ready for life." Joe corrected.

The Blackthorne boys huddled close to me, not sure if we were part of this debriefing.

"So you wanted to see if we could do it for real?" one of the girls asked.

"No. We had to see if you could do it"—Cam's mom glanced over at me and the other guys—"together."

Then, with another smile at our surprised faces, they turned and started through the rain toward the waiting vans.

"Oh…And welcome to Sub level Two," Joe said in the distance.


	20. Chapter 20

**Finally, the last chapter. Thank you so much to all the incredible and patient people that read this and to the amazing people who commented and continued to encourage me to finish it.**

**I'll be at college starting next week, but I will think about writing the next book if you guys would like it.**

* * *

I had just found out that the Circle was after a Gallagher girl. My mind was hurtling at full speed as I attempted to figure out why the Circle would be after a Gallagher girl, why my mother would be after a Gallagher girl.

Then, I heard the soft careful footsteps I'd come to know so well, walk towards me.

"You're already packed."

Cammie anxiously flipped her hair and watched me quietly, feeling the deafening silence.

"We've all got baggage," I murmured.

What was there to say? We watched the other Blackthorne boys packing their few belongs and swinging backpacks over their shoulders. With a slightly worried look she pointed to the purpling bruise on the side of my face.

"That looks bad."

"It isn't. He-"

"Hits like a girl?" She said with a teasing smirk on her lips.

But, I didn't smile. All I could do was look at her; her wispy nutmeg hair and ever changing eyes that were now a light swirl of blue and green. She was beautiful in a mysterious and subtle way. Not a bombshell like Macey, or jaw-dropping like Bex, or even a cute pixie like Lizzie, but hidden. She was the Chameleon, constantly blending so that it was easy to miss, but as I looked at her, really looked at her, her beauty made my heart skip a beat. In a completely cool and masculine way.

But, even deeper than that, she was determined and passionate. She was not to be underestimated. Obviously, I was better, but I mean, let's be serious; there are few who can surpass me. That's not even cockiness, that's fact. Yet, she had forced me to give her respect.

"Not the girls I know," I replied quietly.

She glanced up at me and we just looked at each other, analyzing each other, reading each other, trying to gain a last full profile of the other to store away in our memories. Then, without a word, she turned slowly and walked away.

I watched her go and thought of the wonderful life she was returning to, a loving mom, loyal friends, and a close sisterhood of spies. A life that didn't include me, shouldn't include me.

And yet, as I watched her walk away I couldn't help but wish that somehow it could. I mean, in this crazy twisted world of spies and secrets, there was a chance that our paths could cross again. There was a chance that I would want our paths to intertwine at some point.

My memories of her flooded through my mind: meeting her in the elevator, trying to comfort her after seeing Josh, how stunning she looked at the ball, dancing with her and dipping her, her grabbing my hand as we ran during the Code Black, our library date, holding her close at the fireplace as she told me about her dad, almost kissing her before the pink flamingo interrupted, working together on the mission.

Suddenly, I realized that we still had some unfinished business.

"Oh, and Cammie,"

She spun around at the sound of my voice.

In one movement I slid my arms around her, dipped her in the middle of the foyer and gently pressed my lips against hers. I couldn't contain the smile on my face as I gingerly pulled her upright.

"I always finish what I start," I whispered.

Then I took a step towards the open door where the van waited to take me back to Blackthorne.

"So this is good-bye?" she asked. I quickly turned to her.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl," I said with a wink.

"What would be the odds of that?"

Then I turned around and headed towards the van, without looking back.

Who knew what the future would hold?


End file.
